The new Linux Mint 21 has been released

Published on Aug 02, 2022

Linux Mint 21 “Vanessa” is now available for download.

Ubuntu Mint 20.4 is the latest version of the Ubuntu-based distro, and it carries a number of changes over last year’s release.

This video shows you what’s new in Linux Mint 21, where to download it, and how to upgrade from an earlier version to Linux Mint 21.

There are three distinct distillations of Linux Mint 21: the flagship Cinnamon edition (which uses the Cinnamon desktop environment by default), the Xfce variant (which uses the Xfce desktop), and the MATE option (which ships with the MATE desktop by default). Cinnamon is the primary focus of this video.

Linux Mint 21 is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, the latest long-term support release for Ubuntu. As a result, Mint users gain a flurry of foundational tweaks and archive updates, plus the confidence of knowing their system will receive security updates for the foreseeable future.

Linux 5.15 is the kernel used by Mint 21. There is a new NTFS driver (useful when working with Windows partitions), EXT4 improvements (Mint defaults to EXT4), as well as better hardware support, security patches, and bug fixes.

This version of Linux Mint 21 ships with Cinnamon 5.4, a relatively lightweight, WIMP-oriented UI. Developers rebased the desktop on Mutter 3.4, a move that aims to bring the codebase closer to upstream and reduce delta.

Consequently, this update improves performance, compatibility, and stability. As a matter of fact, Mint has always been fairly fast, even on older hardware, but enhancements in this area are sure to be appreciated by both high-end and mid-range users.

Cinnamon’s window manager Muffin now renders all windows using the GTK theme instead of mixing GTK (CSD) and Megacity (SSD) window types as before. There is greater consistency between apps regardless of their toolkit choice, and windowing elements are sharper and more uniform.